If These Walls Could Talk
by SerenNoir
Summary: Minato Namikaze hadn't expected many of the things in his life that dropped into his lap...or onto his head. Along with raising two teenage boys alone, he still has a long way to go till he can truly call himself grown. Parallel Universe
1. Once Upon A Time

**If These Walls Could Talk**

* * *

**Author: Mask of Mirage**

**Rating: T (Subject to change)**

**Comments: So much for taking a break from writing. This story was actually spurred by a random conversation I was having with my best friend over the general pairing of Yondaime and Sasuke. She, being a die-hard Minato fan, thought it 'icky' and stated she did not like my mind very much. Ah well. I was hit by inspiration by staring at pictures of Aoi from my favorite J-rock band, The GazettE. If that isn't the most random thing.**

**Important Note: _2/2/08_: I had forgotten to put this is but this is a parallel universe where Minato is NOT dead and Sasuke did NOT defect from the village. How fun, right?**

**I would like to make it terribly clear right here and now that this is NOT a pedophilia fic. The pairing is loosely based off Minato and Sasuke but it is purely one-sided, as in Sasuke is just seeking human comfort and Minato is there. So I ask that you please refrain in your reviews from asking "when are they going to get together" or "when is the lemon coming in". **

**I assure you that if there was a lemon in this one, it would most definitely NOT be between Minato and Sasuke. Who knows, it might even be a heterosexual pairing, lord knows how long I've done one of those.**

**Overall, I hope this is challenging for me to write as I haven't attempted to write from an adult's point of view before. Though, I do see myself to be old for my age, it might not be all that hard. **

**:D**

**Mood Song: I Don't Care Anymore by Phil Collins --because you know I support the "oldies".**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters mentioned in this story. Nor do I own the wonderful music I put above.**

* * *

**Chapter One: Once Upon A Time…**

* * *

The first time I met Sasuke Uchiha he was four years old and came skidding into the dining room as naked as the day he was born, his mother close on his heels. In one hand she held his clothes, the other clutching a yellow comb shaped like a rubber bath duck. 

By the way my own four year old, Naruto, stared longingly after him, --and his apparent free reign of the house (from behind the safety of my back, of course)-- I knew from that moment on it was the beginning of a long and tedious friendship.

I turned to the boy's father, and one of my good friends, Fugaku who simply downed his glass of scalding tea in one gulp and smiled wryly. The man was a hard-ass but nevertheless a real down-to-earth guy, his wife was hot and could cook and let's not forget that his eldest son is a friggin' genius!

Of course if I weren't Hokage, jealousy would be coming off me in waves.

The Uchihas were a well-off family, not as wealthy as the Hyuuga's, but still a lot more income coming in than I did before I became the Yondaime Hokage.

This was eleven years ago, before the Uchiha massacre when Sasuke and Naruto were around eight years old. I can still remember waking up in the dead of night to someone sobbing on my doorstep.

* * *

Stumbling around Naruto's Playstation and amidst a few quiet curses, I make it to the front door and throw back the lock, my hand rotating the knob. I am completely taken by surprise to see Sasuke curled up on my welcome mat, bawling his eyes out. 

Acting on fatherly instinct, I bend and scoop his light frame in my arms, cradling his shaking body to my bare chest. Disorientated for the first time in my own house, I crouch down in my hallway, holding him against me as he gasped and screamed, lungs fighting for breath.

I thank the heavens my son is practically deaf when he's asleep for I did not need him waking up and asking why his best friend was crying. I smooth Sasuke's wind-blown hair, bangs damp with his tears, and rock my upper body back and forth hoping it would have the same affect on him as it did on Naruto.

Eventually his heaves subside to small shuddering cries and my fingers massage his shoulder blades with, what I hope, a comforting manner.

"What happened?" I find myself saying. That was just it. Sasuke **never** cries unless he is injured badly or something terribly wrong has happened.

His words are shaky as his brother's name leaves his lips in a hysteric mantra and my body becomes as rigid as stone. I hold him to me as I stand and dart to my kitchen, grabbing the cordless phone from its cradle and punch in a few numbers hurriedly. It rings three times before I hear my former student's groggy voice from the other end.

"Ahh Minato, what is it? It's three in the…"

"Wake the other Jounin and get over to the Uchiha compound, something's wrong," I cut him off, my voice resembling that of a Hokage. Kakashi's voice drops a decibel as he whispers into the phone.

"What's going on?"

" I don't know," I reply heavily, "but I have Sasuke here with me."

"Aa." The line goes silent and I let the phone drop to the countertop, the loud noise bringing forth a fresh wave of tears from Sasuke.

I set him down on the counter next to the phone and rummage through the votive near me for a tea bag, all the while keeping a reassuring hand on his leg. I flip a switch on the stove to heat up the water and open another drawer to get out a clean dishrag.

Wetting it with warm water from the faucet, I wipe Sasuke's face, his eyes scrunching shut as I brush over them. "Do you want to talk about it?" I question after a few moments after dropping the tea bag into the hot water.

His eyes drop to his knees and he balls his fists in his lap which I take as an immediate no. I hand him a cup of tea when it's done and he eyes it before taking a cautious sip. The only sounds in the small kitchen are the methodic ticking of the clock on the wall and the small sniffles coming from Sasuke.

I run my palm over my face realizing how truly tired I am. Sasuke hops from the counter, his bare feet making near-silent noises, and places the empty mug on the table. He stands there awkwardly, unsure of what to do next, and altogether avoiding eye contact.

"Do you want to sleep in my bed with me?" I ask, thinking he might calm down some more if someone stayed with him.

He wordlessly pads down the hallway and I follow him, not surprised in the slightest when he stops in front of Naruto's door. Smiling softly down at him, I open the door for him and watch as he tiptoes to Naruto's side and lifts the covers. My son's eyes blink open sleepily and he lets out a muffled groan.

"What are you doing here?" he asks but scoots over in the bed anyways, allowing Sasuke to slide in next to him. The Uchiha buries his face in Naruto's side and I see his shoulders slump in exhaustion and defeat.

"I had a bad dream."

I close the door softly behind me and stumble into the laundry room, grabbing my clean uniform from the top of the dryer where I laid it the night before. I awkwardly slip into the pants, shirt and vest and make my way back into the kitchen, grabbing the phone from the counter. I punch in Shikaku Nara's number, while slipping on my sandals, hoping his wife would pick up the phone. To my luck, her brash voice sounds from the other end.

"Minato, what is going on?! Shikaku stormed out of bed and out the door like the devil itself was at his back!" Yoshino shouts into the phone and I place my hand over the earpiece to block some of the noise.

"I'm about to go and find out though I was hoping you could come over and watch the boys."

I hear the dial tone shortly after so I assume she's on her way and I place the phone back on the cradle. My nerves are shot as I'm waiting for her to show up and when she finally does, a sleepy Shikamaru in tow, I mumble out a hurried thank you and body flicker myself out of my living room.

The air is cool outside and the strong gusts of wind actually make me shiver, though that could have been the sense of foreboding that had settled in my gut. I reach the Uchiha compound far quicker than I should have and already it's a mayhem.

There are literally dozens of shinobi rushing back and forth and every ten feet or so there's a body covered with a white sheet. I let go of a long shuddering breath, my eyes fixated to the sight before me.

I had seen death many times in my life yet this, this, shook me to the core. A ninja skids to a stop in front of me and I recognize the curious silver hair almost instantaneously.

"What happened here?" I croak out, annoyed that my voice couldn't be more steady.

"They're dead, sir. All of them," Kakashi pants out, wiping a bead of sweat from beneath his visible eye.

"Where's Itachi?" My throat is dry and it feels like my tongue has swollen up inside my mouth.

"He's not here. It's like he's just vanished."

At his words, a cold trickle of sweat skitters down my spine and I swallow thickly, glancing out over the wreckage and bodies. "Sasuke's right," I whisper mostly to myself, "this is all just a bad dream."

* * *

**Author's Note: So, how was that for a first chapter? Decent? A good start? Downright atrocious? Feedback is welcomed, of course. I plan on making this another long chapter story, granted that I have enough people wanting me to continue.**

**If there's any questions about the events happening from here on out, just PM me and I'll try to explain it to the best of my abilities. I apologize for any massive spoilers if you're not caught up to date with the anime, and more importantly, the manga, which I base my facts off of.**

**Lovelove**

**MoM**


	2. Fast Life in the Slow Lane

**If These Walls Could Talk**

* * *

**Author: Mask of Mirage**

**Rating: T (Subject to change)**

**Comments: Sorry for the wait, I was busy with English essays. Last chapter, I accidentally left out a very important note regarding the story. Even though, I edited it into there I'm going to repeat it here.**

**This is a parallel universe fic. Minato didn't die while sealing the demon inside Naruto. Sasuke never defected from the village. If I had left it canon, then this story would make absolute no sense because when Minato died, Sasuke would only be a couple months old. And that's some pedophilia right thurr.**

**Mood Song: Tsubasa by Alice Nine**

**Disclaimer: Do not own fandom nor mood song.**

* * *

**Chapter Two: Fast Life in the Slow Lane**

* * *

_((Present Day))_

* * *

In all my thirty-nine years I had never wanted to kill a person more in my entire life. 

Even on the mission that ended up costing one of my student's lives. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. Leave me alone, I'm a moody bitch in the mornings.

All I knew was that while lying face-down in my unbelievably comfortable bed, trying to squeeze out the last few minutes of shut-eye, there was a constant thudding noise coming from the bedroom next to me.

Groggily, I roll from the warmth of my bed and plod to the door, my nails scratching lightly at my stomach in a sleepy manner. I make my way to Naruto's cracked door and push it open slowly, afraid that the banging noise against the wall was really a headboard and that a naked girl would roll under the bed to avoid being seen. That would be a very awkward, very terrifying experience to sit through. For me, anyway.

Fortunately, Naruto was alone in the room, lying on top of his sheets in a pair of green plaid boxers and white wife-beater. I watch as he tosses his pillow up into the ceiling fan and lets it shoot across the room and smack against the wall with a dull thud. He then reels it back in with what looks like fishing wire tied to the corner of the pillow and repeats the process.

"Uh…what are you doing?" I ask with a low cough and his startled blue eyes dart to my face. He grins sheepishly and hugs the pillow to his chest.

"Just waiting for you to get up," he replies, swinging his body over the edge of the bed and rolling onto the balls of his feet. I roll my eyes into the top of my skull and resign myself to fixing breakfast, knowing there's no way I would be able to get back to sleep now.

I take a box of cereal from the cabinet and the milk from the fridge and plunk it down in the middle of the bar, shooting Naruto a look that told him, 'You're-fifteen-years-old-and-fully-capable-of-making-a-bowl-of-cereal-by-yourself.'

I flick on the coffee pot, completely alright with drinking day old grounds, and collapse onto the bar, my lower body dangling from the edge. Naruto taps his spoon on my head and I manage to groggily swat at it with my free hand.

"Sasuke texted me earlier, he wanted to know if he could stay over," Naruto mumbles around a mouthful of Lucky Charms.

I close my eyes and breathe slowly out my nose. It was always like this. Every Thursday for the past seven years, Sasuke has slept over and it was only about a year ago that I realized why.

Thursday was the night I had found him on my doorstep, the same night that everything was stripped bare from him and he was left an orphan. It was heartbreaking, to say in the least. The once charming, endearing little boy had grown to be a cynical, emotionless teenager.

Raising myself from the bar, I walk over to the stereo and switch on a mix CD, pressing the repeat button. It was a morning ritual of mine while I was getting ready to listen to music. Staind's _Outside_ starts to leak quietly from my speakers as I amble back to my bedroom to get a change of clothes.

I was digging through my dresser for a pair of boxers when I feel Naruto's presence enter the room.

"So, can he stay over?"

I slam the drawer with more force than necessary and fix my son with a blank gaze. "Does that question even really warrant an answer?"

He shuffles his feet nervously along the floor and we exchange a moment of silence, remembering the loss of something whole and pure that had been replaced with something cracked and dark.

"He can stay over," I murmur quietly, mostly to myself, and pass him to take a shower. Naruto mumbles his thanks and disappears back into the living room, his bright blue eyes looking a bit dull.

I lock the bathroom door behind me and take in quick, shallow breaths. We both knew we were losing Sasuke, in more ways than one, and we both knew we were helpless to stop it.

I was never cut out for children but Fate had other plans for me and I still can remember the look of startled, but happy surprise when Kushina told me she was pregnant. I had never imagined it to be so hard, or that I was going to be forced to raise my son by myself.

Shortly after Kushina's death, I had sent Naruto away for a few weeks to my sister, knowing full well that I was too depressed and angry to take care of him at the time. It took a while for me to forgive myself and Naruto because those first few months after he was born, I blamed him for her death. If she would have never gotten pregnant with him, she wouldn't have died giving birth to him. In my mind, at the time, it seemed like a good enough reason to hate a small baby.

Now, here we were, fifteen years later and I was still very much alone and now raising a rambunctious, hotheaded teenager. Which compared to his childhood, is fairly easy. It's Sasuke that's the problem.

After the massacre, I wordlessly stepped up and took on the role of surrogate father, even though the young Uchiha adamantly demanded he wanted to live alone, I still play a large role in his upbringing. But lately, despite the efforts of me and Naruto combined, Sasuke was drifting farther and farther away. He hardly ever talked and when he did grace our ears with words, it was usually cynical in nature and he never finished his sentences. In short, it was being like the minor character in a play and knowing essentially nothing except our lines.

It was disconcerting really because I wanted to be there for him; the only trouble being I didn't know how. No one wrote a book on how to deal with emotionally suppressed teenage boys. I'm in the dark, in the middle of a bar-fight, hoping and praying to all deities that my punches land on target and not some giant biker dude who could crush me with his handlebar mustache alone.

Aren't I good with analogies?

So this plagued my mind throughout the entirety of my shower, pretty much zapping all the fun and relaxation out of the steaming hot water. Stepping out of the steamy room, clothes immaculately in place, I notice Naruto has already left, a note in his place saying he was going out to train with Kiba and lunch with Sakura and Kakashi.

And here I thought I was going to have company on my brief walk to the Hokage tower and the colossal amount of paperwork piled in all four corners of my office. Tch, teenagers.

* * *

Needless to say, I ended up not getting any work done that day, as a urgent message was waiting for me on my desk. As soon as I read the name on the scroll, I was out the door, not even bothering to pick up my robe from the hook on the wall. I knew exactly where he would be and wasted no time in getting there. 

His lone figure was standing on the edge of terrace near the Hokage faces, the wind whipping his hair relentlessly about his face. Even from this distance, I can see this lapse is worse than before. The blood drips dark and steady from his pale wrist and I approach slowly, not wanting to startle him.

He senses my presence anyways and goes rigid as I pull the knife from his hands and let it clatter loudly to the ground. I then wrap my arms around him from behind, cradling his stiff body against my chest. Wordlessly, he turns in my arms and presses his face against my vest and his body starts to shake uncontrollably.

I know he's not crying. He won't allow himself that.

* * *

**Author's Note: After all the positive emails I've received for this, I decided to bust my butt and get this chapter up. So yeah, angst and more angst. Bah, this was meant to be put up earlier this morning but my Edward (Mirage's darling computer) was being overly-slow and I got frustrated and logged off. **

**;D**

**Mask of Mirage**


	3. Vermilion

**If These Walls Could Talk**

* * *

**Author: Mask of Mirage**

**Rating: M**

**Comments: So, this is a bit delayed. Sorry, been busy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own.**

* * *

**Chapter Three: Vermilion**

* * *

There's not much I can do for Sasuke's wrist until we get back to my apartment yet I don't want to risk him losing too much blood if I let him walk. Discreetly pocketing the knife, I turn to him and hold out my arm. He comes close, gripping my shirt, and I can hear him suck in air nervously as the heady rush that comes along with body flickering fills me.

Unlike Naruto, Sasuke hates to flicker, and I've only done it with him twice before now. Though I suppose that isn't saying much as Naruto is apt to like most things that can be dangerous or defies the laws of physics.

He still clings to me when I'm greeted with the comforting cinnamon apple odor of my house, a memoir left behind from the previous tenants, and I gently tap him on the head for him to let go. His arms unwind slowly from my waist and I notice they're shaking. Like he's trying so hard to keep it together, afraid to fail and watch himself crumble to pieces. This boy's pride is the only thing keeping him alive and I'm at a loss to remedy that.

I lead him by the elbow into the bathroom and he hoists himself up onto the counter, a blank glare on his features. I wordlessly take out some hydrogen peroxide and gauze but when I go to administer it to his arm, he yanks it away.

"I can do it," he mumbles, turning his body so his bloodied wrist is over the sink. He lies the unrolled gauze on his thigh and slowly pours the peroxide over the wound. A sharp hiss escapes from between clenched teeth and I can see the cut bubble, a sign that it's working.

Sasuke clamps a hand over his wrist to stem the blood flow once more and I lean my weight against the wall. The pack of cigarettes in the front pocket of my vest calls out to me and I light one, even though I had promised myself I was going to quit smoking.

"You know," I murmur, taking a long drag on the cigarette," you can come to me when you…feel this way. Hell, I'm sure Naruto wouldn't even mind if you talk to him."

Sasuke's gaze snaps up to meet mine and I exhale my fumes into the air; that infamous glare has never worked on me. "I'm not a cutter," he bristles, attempting to wrap the gauze around his wrist with one hand before giving up with a huff.

I shoulder away from the wall and grab onto the tangled wrapping before he has a chance to fling it into the trashcan. He stills for me as I deftly tie off the end around his arm, ashes from the cancer stick in my mouth falling off into the sink. This close to him I can smell his clean, musky scent; like wet earth or autumn winds.

He makes a pained sound in his throat when my leg accidentally bumps up against his left thigh and I draw my eyes up to his, suspicious. Before he can form a decent protest or excuse, I undo the button to his pants and yank them down to his knees. He emits a sound of protest now as I push up the material of his boxers and I feel my body tensing up as I catch sight of the morbid patchwork of scars, old and new, adorning his pale, milky thigh.

At once, I'm scrambling in the drawer next to me, searching for ointment I was pretty sure was lying on my bedside table. Sasuke's hand comes down around my wrist, stilling my movements and I look back up into his eyes. He shakes his head no and lifts his hips to pull his pants back up. Not bothering to zip them, he leans forward and embraces me around the neck and I feel his hot face press into the crook of my neck.

As I tighten my hold around him, I feel like crying. I'm losing him every single day he does this and it's been happening more frequently. I don't get the impression he wants to die just yet but it's there, lingering beneath the surface. It's at times like these that I feel the most powerless. Even more than that time, fifteen years ago, that I had to ruin the life of my precious son to save the lives of the people of my village.

I knew the duty of a Hokage was to make difficult decisions, most of the time under pressure but this wasn't in the handbook. No one ever told me what to do when you have half-grown, warm teenager clinging to you like you're life itself. I feel his lips tremble against my collarbone and I think he's crying but when I listen closely, I hear him speaking quietly.

He's apologizing for putting me through this, causing me and Naruto to worry so much about him and everything will get better once he kills Itachi. I zone out for a few moments because I've heard this all before and if he was really sorry, he wouldn't still be doing this to himself. Yet, I pull him closer to me and hoist him off the counter, carrying him like you would a toddler. Sasuke emits a noncommittal sound as I tote him out the bathroom and down the hallway to my bedroom.

He's far too light for a teenage boy, even more so for a shinobi who should weigh even heavier due to muscle. I deposit him on the bed and he looks annoyed at me but I couldn't give less of a damn. He tries to get back up from the bed but I push a firm hand down on his chest and he lies back, glaring at me from beneath dark eyelashes.

"I think you should sleep some," I mutter, wondering if as soon as I leave the room if he is going to bust out my window to get out. Sasuke opens his mouth to speak but closes it and kicks off his sandals at the end of my bed. As I turn to leave, I feel his hand on my elbow, stopping me.

"Stay," he says.

I want to tell him I have to work to do, that I am Hokage after all and I don't have time to spend it babysitting. But I say none of these things, instead heave a small sigh and kick off my own sandals. I slide onto the bed next to him and he rolls onto his side, his head still craned towards the window. Pale fingers come up to toy with the mesh screen, rubbing lightly at a dead gnat that had unfortunately got himself stuck in between the holes.

He glances back over at me and I keep my face expressionless, nudging him with my knee to hopefully get that I don't really want to be here across. He sighs in an aggravated manner and rolls over to face me, throwing an arm over my waist and lying his head on my chest. If anyone were to walk in on us, other than Naruto, they would be genuinely surprised to see Sasuke in such a vulnerable manner but I know Sasuke more than they do. This is normal for us, I've held him like this since he was very tiny.

His eyes are locked on mine now, and like always, I'm lost in the dark onyx whirlpools. I've heard people say a person's eyes are the gateways to their soul. I know for a fact that is a bold-faced lie because even though Sasuke's eyes are a blank and pitch-black as night, I know there's a soul inside him, pleading with his pride to come out.

"You smell like smoke," he comments quietly, lowering his gaze and allowing his eyelids to fall shut.

"Shut up, Sasuke."

It's the only thing I can think of at the time and if I had known better, I'm sure I would have been a little more eloquent and have a little more tact. Needless to say, this is where it all begins.

With those three simple words I unleash something that wasn't there before inside of Sasuke. And if I had known what would take place over the time span of the next few months, I would have apologized and taken back my words in a heartbeat.

Because -I find out later- one of the most unknown traits about Sasuke's character is that he tends to be drawn to those who abuse him or hurt in some fashion. Classic masochist.

And it's a damn shame that I have a penchant for being a sadist.

* * *

**Author's Note: I apologize if it's not very clear but I was in a very rambling, scatter-brained mood. **

**So, I gave it some thought about the pairing, as someone suggested that I should go on ahead and make it a shonen-ai due to the numerous innuendos that may occur and are powerless to stop, and I've decided I may go somewhere with that but it's not going to be like extremely hardcore or pronounced in a way that would contradict the whole "this is not a pedo fic".**

**May or may not happen, all depends on my mood and the number of people telling me to go along with it. Personally, I think Sasuke is VERY out-of-character in this chapter but I hope that everyone can see that I'm trying to bring out another side in the Uchiha, something that may have happened if he had an adult to help him through his childhood.**

**Minato is not apathetic, he just doesn't know what to do. Just to make that clear. Haha. Peace, love and shizzit.**

**Mask of Mirage**


	4. Going to Need a Bigger Broom

**If These Walls Could Talk**

* * *

**Author: Mask of Mirage**

**Rating: High T; could possibly be considered M.**

**Comments: The drive to write this came from running around Wal-Mart with my Papa-Bear and avoiding head-on collisions with our cart and other innocent bystanders all the while yelling, "Candy. I want candy" in a caveman style voice. In other words, I have no idea.**

**Mood Song: Wenn Nichts Mehr Geht by Tokio Hotel**

* * *

**Chapter Four: Going to Need a Bigger Broom**

* * *

There's a girl sitting on my sofa.

Okay, it's just Sakura but she counts and I'm hoping Naruto doesn't let something bad slip from that big, stupid mouth of his. Although, all three of them have been friends for so long, I doubt it really matters much anymore what idiotic things my son utters.

I can tell he likes her by the not-so-subtle way he keeps trying to lay his hand on top of hers. It's unfortunate that the sparkle in her eyes are reserved for the quiet, brooding teen sitting next to me. I have an inkling Sasuke could honestly care less. Love triangles never bode well for teamwork. Just take a look at my former team.

"Sasuke, are you listening?"

Sakura's voice cuts through my inner musings and it turns out I'm not the only one not paying attention.

"We talked Nara into letting us have Hinata's little sister's party on his land out in the woods tonight. Hanabi invited you and Naruto, if you would like to come?"

Sasuke seems a bit disorientated so I step in and answer for him. "Actually, Sasuke and I have plans already. We were going to work on a new jutsu. But Naruto can go," I stare at my son, telling him with my eyes that me and Sasuke really need to talk.

Sakura opens her mouth to protest but Sasuke finds his voice and finally intervenes. "I don't know Hanabi well enough anyway."

Sakura drops it then because it's Sasuke and she always listens to him. I leave the three of them to fix tea in the kitchen, startled when Naruto shows up behind me not moments later.

"He's hurting himself again, isn't he?" he murmurs angrily. "You don't think I can look after him on my own, right?"

I notice that his cobalt orbs are melancholy and I silently pull him to me, wrapping my arms around his back and burying my nose in his soft, spiky hair.

"I don't want to lose him, Dad. I can't lose him," he whispers shakily into the crook of my shoulder. 

I tighten my arms around him and inhale deeply of his warm, quiet scent. "I promise you Naruto, I'm not going to allow that." I hold him away from me and he raises his eyes to meet mine. "Do you believe me?"

He nods and smiles up at me and I bend and brush my lips over the crown of his head and propel him towards the door. "Now, go have fun with your friends and don't worry about it right now." I push him through the door and he laughs as he almost stumbles. Naruto, I can understand. It's the other one that throws me for a loop.

"Beat it, squirt."

* * *

I turn to Sasuke once they're gone only to find him glaring daggers in my direction. I smile sheepishly, running my fingers through the hair at my nape awkwardly.

"What if I _wanted_ to go?" Sasuke asks, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly. I raise an eyebrow at this and scoff loudly.

"Please, you would not! If anything, I was saving you from having to go out because god forbid the almighty Sasuke socialize with other normal human beings!"

His mouth drops open in anger and I can see him sputter to find something worthy enough to throw back at me as an insult. "Well…well…you're a…stupid head!"

I blink a few times at his statement, willing the smile to stay off my face in order to preserve whatever dignity he may have left. "Really Sasuke, stupid head?"

He blushes slightly and turns his head away with a huff. "Well now that you have me imprisoned here, what am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know. Chill, I suppose. I'm going to finish making the tea. Naruto's X-Box should still be hooked up to the television." He rolls his eyes, grabs the game controller, and plops down on the couch. Smirking, I retreat into the kitchen where my tea kettle is whistling impatiently.

Humming gently to myself, I put tea bags into two glasses and lean up against the counter, waiting for them to seep. I jump slightly when I see Sasuke in the doorway, one hand holding the back of his neck and the other pulling nervously at the pocket of his pants.

"Minato…I have a favor to ask?" he mumbles, turning his eyes up the ceiling.

I lean back on my elbows and nod. He takes a deep breath and exhales it slowly and I hear his feet shuffle at the tile floor beneath him. 

"Well…?" I urge, waving my arm around to get him to spit it out.

"Tell me I'm worthless." He says it so fast that at first I don't quite catch it but when I do, my eyes widen and a frown pulls at the corner of my mouth.

"Why would I do something stupid like that?" I question, like it was the most ridiculous thing in the world and the truth is, it might as well be.

"_Minato_," he snaps impatiently.

"Okay, okay," I say, holding my hands up in peace. "You're worthless." He doesn't look convinced and I count inside my head to see how long it takes until he proves me inferior in his eyes.

"You didn't say it right," he murmurs quietly. "Tell me and mean it."

I stare across the room at his figure, wishing I could see his eyes and what he's really thinking. Why would he want me to tell him he's worthless? Surely, he doesn't feel like that. Does he? Oh god, maybe he does. Maybe this is another way he wants to hurt himself; just not in a physical way.

"I'm not going to say that," I begin quietly and his head snaps up angrily, eyes spinning with his Sharingan. "I'm not going to lie and say something I don't mean."

He stalks over to me and punches me hard in the stomach and I feel the breath leave me in a nice whoosh. His arms come up to wrap around my waist and he presses up against me, turning his head so I can't see his face. He suddenly slams my back against the counter and a sharp pain shoots up my spine.

"Why can't you do something this simple?" he mutters heatedly, his fingers sharp and pinching on the skin of my back. 

I forcefully pry his fingers from me and hold him at arm's length, staring him down without a hint of teasing in my eyes. "Because you're not worthless, Sasuke."

I watch as his eyes cloud over with an emotion I can't describe and he jerks away from my touch and rushes out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind him. The tea in our cups behind me are too bitter by now and I just end up pouring them down the sink and tossing the used bags into the trashcan.

For some reason my heart is pounding deep within my ribcage and something tells me that I need to check up on Sasuke, to not let him get by himself when he's upset.

The boards underneath my feet creak with each step I take and I can see Naruto's door is cracked and I can hear his fan that he always keeps on from out in the hallway. A flash of blue is curled up on the otherwise strikingly orange bed and I step into the dim room. Sasuke looks much younger than almost-sixteen years old curled up the way he is on my son's bed and my heart clenches painfully within me.

Dropping to my knees, I reach over and pull his slight form to me, burying my face in his back. He grunts lowly and swats at my hands around his chest but I ignore him and try to will back the stinging sensation in my eyes. "Why won't you talk to us, Sasuke?" I mutter beneath my breath.

There's a pause and Sasuke sighs loudly. "I did."

"Forcing me to tell you you're worthless is not what I meant."

"It's what I want you to mean…and it's what I feel a lot of days."

His answer is so casual and so devoid of emotion that it breaks something inside of me and I can feel hot tears blur my eyesight and leak onto the back of his shirt. "Damn you, Sasuke. Damn you. All you fucking Uchihas are so damn stubborn."

His shoulders shrug beneath my hold and I feel like slapping him across his face for his insolence and apathetic façade he keeps pulling on me. I allow myself to calm down some and get my breathing under control. 

Then I feel something prod at my hand and slim, pale fingers slide in between mine. His hand is warm and I'm reminded how alive he really is. Pushing him over slightly, I get up from the floor and slide into the bed behind him, hugging his frame against me.

"Alright, tell me why you think you're worthless."

Without missing a beat, I hear his reply. "Next question."

"Bastard. Let's see," I absentmindedly stroke the soft part of his palm, "Why is Naruto's room the first place you come to when you're upset?"

There is silence on the other end but I wait patiently, because I know he's thinking of the answer in his head.

"Everything smells like him in here. I guess it calms me down more if I'm around things that are his." Okay, that makes sense actually. Cautiously, I run a hand up the back of his head and tangle my fingers in his dark, silken spikes. As my nails scratch lightly at his scalp, I can feel him tense up against me.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't know," I mumble, pulling my fingers through his hair. "Whatever it is, is it working?"

He hums in his throat and shifts his weight on the bed, finding a more comfortable spot to curl up to me in. "Why is it that we always end up in bed instead of doing something more productive? Naruto is out partying and what are we doing? Not a damn thing."

I chuckle and swing myself off the bed. "Okay, I'll order out. What do you want to eat? And please don't say ramen."

He smirks, almost in a thoughtful manner, and pushes past me towards the living room. "I want sushi and rice."

Sushi and rice, it is.

"Let's watch a horror, too," Sasuke exclaims and I can hear him digging around in my extensive movie collection.

Okay, sushi, rice, _and_ a scary movie. Fine with me, as long as I don't have to find him hunched over a bloody knife or something of that nature. And I look and see him and there's an honest-to-god smile on his face and even from this distance, I can tell it's not fake.

And it kills me worse than a fake one ever could. Because through it all, he really wants to be happy again. Like when he was little and his Oniisan was his only hero.

Now, it's just him beating back the monsters underneath the bed with a broom and false securities. '_I'm going to need to buy a new broom', _I muse as I head on my wild search for the phone.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, this chapter ends on a slightly hopeful note. Minato is getting a bit better with helping, I think. **

**I remember being young and my Papa-Bear coming in every night and beating underneath the bed with a broom and yelling, "Die monsters!" I think it broke his heart when I told him, "Daddy…there's no such thing as monsters."**

**:D**

**Nine pages, damn't! I was going for ten. Oh well.**

**Mask of Mirage**


	5. Some Just Want to Be Abused

**If These Walls Could Talk**

* * *

**Author: Mask of Mirage**

**Rating: High T**

**Comments: Such a long wait. Sorry!**

**Mood Song: An Deiner Seite (Ich bin Da) by Tokio Hotel**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Some Just Want to Be Abused**

* * *

Four horror films later and the clock dangerously nearing two in the morning, I'm about wiped out. I am sprawled out across the sofa, my feet moving the empty rice cartons around out of boredom, and reminiscing about my younger days when I could stay up for 48 hours and not be affected.

Sasuke is on the floor in front of me, curled up with his head resting on his bent arm and seemingly enthralled with the gory action depicted on the screen. I don't know how; the bloody mess on the television was making the rice that I had eaten earlier in the evening churn uncomfortably in my stomach.

I feel almost relieved when I hear the front door slam and a body crash into the coat rack in the hallway. Want to know what's funnier than a drunk trying to pull off the fact that's he not drunk? Sprinkle a little Naruto into the cocktail.

He rounds the corner, eyes glowing brightly and a sloppy grin set on his features. His clothes reek of cheap liquor and wet moss and I feel a pang of nostalgia as I remember my own adolescence and staying out late with my friends and getting totally smashed. Wait…I'm still known to do that.

He staggers to the middle of the living room and falls heavily onto Sasuke, smothering the poor raven with his body. "Heya, Sasuke, you should have came to the party, it was amazing," he slurs, tangling his fingers into the dark hair and shaking the boy's head around playfully.

"Ugh, get off me, loser," Sasuke mumbles, using his feet to push the inebriated teen off him. Naruto rises unsteadily to his feet and makes his way to me but I push my socked foot to his chest and hold him at bay.

"Cold shower, now," I command in my no-nonsense Minato-Papa voice.

He looks at my briefly before closing his mouth and admitting defeat, allowing a sheepish smile to cross his face before he stumbles off down the hallway. I wait till I hear the sound of the shower come on before I glance over at Sasuke. His eyelids are drooped with the telltale signs of fatigue and his fingers fiddle sleepily with the fringe on the rug.

Sighing softly, I bend and pull him up by his hand. He teeters once on his feet and I catch him around the waist before his face makes a second greeting with the floor.

"Where to?" I ask softly. His eyelids flutter twice and his voice is lethargic when he speaks.

"Mine…yours…not Naruto…'s too drunk."

I chuckle softly to myself at his incoherency and lead him down the hallway to my room. He pulls off his shirt, most likely out of habit, before crawling into my bed and commandeering both of my pillows. I'd bet money he was asleep before his head touched them. I hear the water shut off in the next room and a groggy "Night, Dad" follows afterward.

There, in that moment, I felt like I understood things a bit better; that everything was finally at peace with itself without me trying to interfere all the time. Everything is still with Sasuke's even, light breathing and the hum of Naruto's fan before it dims as his door is pushed shut.

I wander back into the living room and shut off the television, allowing the sudden quiet to permeate the air. A warm rush of tears hit the backs of my eyelids and they make soft plinking noises when they hit the empty cardboard boxes our food came in as I dump them into the trash.

I wipe a hand across my eyes and strip down to my boxers in the laundry room before tip-toeing back to my bedroom. The blinds are open, though they weren't earlier, letting in a cold gray wash of moonlight. The pallor of Sasuke's skin is almost translucent and I'm not that surprised when the liquid black of his eyes land on me next to the bed.

"Hey," he whispers, scooting over some to allow me room to slide in next to him. The sheets are warm where his body had lain and I subconsciously inhale his earthy autumn scent that clung to my pillow.

He lies in the dark, facing me, and I can see there's something plaguing his mind and at any moment he's going to roll back over and sigh gently, once again letting his pride think for him. So, before he is able to do so, I put a finger under his chin and force our eyes to meet.

"What?" he questions, pushing my hand away from his face.

"It looked like you were thinking awfully hard about something. Care to share what it was?"

He blushes minutely and I probably wouldn't even catch it if the moon wasn't out tonight. His fingers fiddle with the end of the pillowcase and I realize he does that a lot. Fiddle with things. Must be a habit he does when he gets nervous.

"I was just thinking of something," he replies slowly, propping an arm beneath his head. I mimic him and smile in encouragement. He exhales quietly and casts his eyes to the pillow. "I was thinking about whether or not you would still respect me."

"After…?"

"After I killed Itachi." His eyes are like twin smoldering pools of ink and something knots in my gut. It hurts me when he says things like this; thinks that the only way to fix what's wrong is to exact his revenge.

I reach out my hand and muss his bangs, not even flinching back when his gaze becomes calculating. "Sasuke," I begin, "you are so special to me and if I could I would help you find Itachi. Y'see there was something dark and not right growing inside of your brother. I will probably never know why he did what he did but killing him is not going to bring your family back."

He sighs slowly and rolls over onto his back, his arms stretched out above him. From the way the mood shines through the window Sasuke's scars are a vivid pale pink and I resist the urge to run my fingers over them and erase the pain that lies within.

"Minato?"

"Hm?"

"Would you tell me you love me and then you have to promise not to tell anyone I was crying," he says in a rush.

"Was?"

He turns his head towards me and bores into my eyes with his own. As I watch, I notice miniature pools of moisture form in the corners of his eyes, overflow, and slip down his cheeks. Acting on the instinct that seems to be built in any parent, I slide forward and take his face between my hands.

"I love you," I murmur soothingly, before lowering my lips to his closed eyes. His eyelashes are cool and damp and I gently suck up the moisture that was still gathered on them. When I lean back, Sasuke's eyes are wide but I can tell the tension has left his body.

"Go to sleep, Sasuke," I mumble into his hair, pulling him up against my form. His forearms tremble beneath my grip and I press my face against the back of his head, burying my nose in the soft black spikes. Eventually, his breathing subsides to a low hum and I stretch back out on my bed, allowing sleep to reach my tired eyelids.

That night I dream of something so forbidden that it wakes me from my fitful slumber and I rest my shaken body up against the headboard. Sasuke's lithe body is spread out under the sheet and I trace his arms up to where they lie beneath his head, his face pressed flush to his outspread fingers. He's beautiful.

And that is what's so forbidden. I'm supposed to be saving this boy; not having wet dreams about him like some prepubescent teenager. I pinch the bridge of my nose, willing the stinging sensation in my eyes to just go away.

I can't help but leaning over and placing a feather-like kiss on the soft flesh behind his ear, drawing in his scent like it was the finest cognac. Slowly, I draw myself from the bed, grabbing a throw from the end of the bed. It's the couch for me tonight; there's no telling what my exhausted mind will convince my body to do.

* * *

**Author's Note: Incredibly short and such a long time since my last update. I'm sorry. Keep the support coming; I have more faith in ya'll than I do myself most times. :D**

**Mask of Mirage**


	6. Save Sorrow for the Souls in Doubt

**If These Walls Could Talk**

* * *

**Author: Mask of Mirage**

**Rating: T**

**Comments: So this is the end. It kind of seems abrupt, doesn't it? Considering I haven't warned you till now. Hah, I'm sorry. Anyway, I like how this chapter came out. It just seems incomplete, which is kind of what I was going for. Who knows really?**

**Mood Song: Carry Me Down by Demon Hunter**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

**Chapter Six: Save Sorrow for the Souls in Doubt**

* * *

Pretending to be asleep when you're really not is not as easy as it may seem, especially if your own son has the senses of a fox. Literally.

"This didn't happen, okay Naruto? At least around everyone else," a familiar lilting voice murmurs as she passes my 'sleeping' form on the couch.

"I don't know, I think you sneaking into my room in the dead of morning then sleeping with me classifies as something happening, Sakura," Naruto shoots back playfully.

"Shh! You're going to wake your dad. We'll talk later, 'kay?" I hear her stand on tiptoe and peck him on the lips, followed by Naruto's slight giggle as he loses his balance and crashes into the wall near the door. Despite all that noise, I don't think my front door has ever closed that quietly.

I yawn loudly and stretch, trying to make it look like I was just waking up. Naruto apparently falls for my ploy and hears me because he appears in the living room, grinning broadly.

"Morning Dad!"

"Nice hickey," I reply, leaning forward and mussing his hair. The smile immediately falls off his face and he glances nervously in the direction of my bedroom.

"Don't tell Sasuke, please! I think he likes her or something."

I stifle a snort of amusement. Can my kid be any _more_ oblivious? Naruto is looking at me weirdly and I raise one of my eyebrows in questioning.

"Aren't you going to ask me whether I used protection or not?"

I blink, confused. "Am I supposed to? Did you?"

He sighs heavily and turns from the room. "That's why I love you, Dad."

I frown quietly to myself, the depression settling back in like a slow-growing tumor. It's times like these that I know I'm failing my son as a father. It's like I never know what to do or what to say to come off as the parent figure I know he wants. The one I know he deserves.

Standing, I drag myself to my bedroom. The first rays of sunlight are filtering in through the open blinds and the dust motes are tangible in the air. Sasuke is sprawled horizontal across the bed, covers kicked down around his feet. His eyelids flutter softly against his cheek and his nose scrunches up delicately every once in a while as if he smells something strong.

It's so frustrating that I can't find the answers to my many questions within these boys and I really miss Kushina, cause I know she would know exactly what to do. There are days where I feel so lost and hopeless and nights where I would wake up and roll over, expecting to see her sleeping form next to me. It kills me each morning to see an empty spot and unused pillow, putting me in a funk for the rest of the day.

I sit on the edge of the bed, taking solace in the sound of Sasuke's shallow breaths. The clock reads 7:48 when I hear a low whine behind me and the bed shifting as he stretches his toes to the footboard and arches his back. I love watching Sasuke wake up, he reminds me of an overly-pampered house cat.

"Good morning," he says softly, eyes still clouded with sleep but a wistful smile playing on his lips.

And it's then that I fall head over heels in love.

* * *

The next two weeks pass uneventfully, up until the silence was punctuated by the suddenly awkward scene where Sasuke finds out Naruto and Sakura are together. He blows it off with a shrug and a 'hn' like he does most things and says he's heading to the hot springs. He walks out of my office with a slight shuffle of his feet that lets me know he's not okay.

After shooing out the other two teenagers in my office, I shove the documents I was working on, something about construction of a new bridge, and scramble out of the tower, trying to catch up with Sasuke. The weather is sweltering and I can't imagine what the springs are already like; he's going to roast alive in there.

Thankfully, he's not at the springs. Actually, he's not anywhere and I start to grow frantic. I didn't know the news of Naruto and Sakura would have hit him this hard; I always thought he never liked her to start with. I ask around and get some leads that he wandered up into the mountains about twenty minutes earlier.

It's cooler at these altitudes and I can hear a natural brook burbling close to me. Pushing through the undergrowth, I step out into a small clearing and spot him. He's sitting on a large boulder at the base of the waterfall, his feet dangling in the water.

The forest around us provides a natural enclosure and I can hear the soft twittering of birds and squirrels nearby. Sasuke stares at the water beneath his feet and with a sudden movement, plunges into the deep water. I rush, without thinking, to the edge of the pool and peer in. He's swimming at the bottom and I can just make out the powerful lean muscles of his shoulders ripple through the water.

Sighing softly, I lean my back against the boulder he was just on and wait for him to resurface. When he does, blinking back water from his eyelashes, he just looks at me like he's known I was there all along.

"Hey," I murmur, kneeling down at the water's edge. He treads water over to me and leans his elbows up on the ground as the water is still pretty deep here. His hair is dripping dark spots onto the compacted dirt and his spikes in the back are drooping with the weight of the moisture.

"You okay?" I question softly, trying to make how some kind of emotion is those dark-as-night eyes of his. He taps his finger against the dirt absentmindedly and shifts his weight, causing the water around his torso to splash over the edge.

"You want to know the truth. I'm not doing okay. I mean, I didn't like Sakura in the way she probably wanted me to when we were kids but…she's been there for so long." He breaths quietly out of his nose and it sounds like he's rushing things, confusing them with reality. "Her crushing on me was one of the most stable things in my life. And I just feel…I feel kind of lost now that she's with Naruto."

He averts his eyes to the water below him and I shift my weight to my lower legs and lean forward, raising his chin with my fingertip. He looks up at me once before looking back down, smiling wistfully.

"Pretty pathetic, huh?"

I don't know if it's that sentence that does it for me or I just want to convince this boy that he means more than he realizes. I'm tired of seeing him constantly belittle himself and constantly training and always trying to prove that he's better than some twisted bastard who he surpassed a thousand-fold as soon as he came into this wretched world.

I bend, my fingers sliding around to cup his cheek and press my lips gently against his, wishing that this simple kiss can wash away all the hurt and all the rottenness that has built up in the poor boy for eight long years. He stiffens underneath the pressure of my mouth before pushing himself away, treading water out in the middle of the pool.

Scarlet paints his face and his eyes shoot misunderstanding my way and I sigh heavily, running a large, calloused hand through my air. "Come out of the water; you're ruining your clothes," I mutter gruffly, ashamed that I had let my emotions get the best of me. What kind of example as a Hokage and role model am I setting for him?

He stares at me for a moment longer before swimming back to the edge and pulling himself up. I'm captivated by the way the muscles in his back arch and ripple beneath his skin, so much so that I don't feel the hand at my robe. Before I know it, I'm coming up sputtering for air, trying to clear my lungs of water.

I back up against the edge of the pool so my robe doesn't pull me down any further, shocked when a dark head emerges right in front of me. Sasuke's body slides up my front and he winds his arms around my neck, burying his face in its curve.

"Thank you, Minato," I hear him mumble into my sopping collar, landing light kisses along my collarbone. "Thank you, thank you."

I hold him tight against me, as if I'm reaching deep within him and scraping out all the bad only to be replaced with whatever good I can offer him. I'm not good with kids, I never have and I never will be. I learn my mistakes so slowly that by the time I figure it all out, I've already repeated the same one twice. I never expected it to be easy, even when it was Kushina by my side.

And with her gone, I realize my game had to step up because I was left alone, raising a son who had more curiosity than he knew what to do with. I love my kids; Naruto and Sasuke both. I understand that what I feel for Sasuke is probably not appropriate but what is the true definition of love? Where does the love for your children and the love of her partner become different? They always seemed to cross the same paths with me. I care for him just like I do for Naruto, no less and no more.

He's still broken, that mangled porcelain doll you would find in the charity heap at the orphanage, but he's real and that's what counts. Everyone thinks he's corrupt with his own need for revenge and that may be so, but they don't know him like I do. They've never held him as he sobbed into their chest in the middle of the night. They've never had to wrap their fingers around his bleeding wrist to keep him alive. They've never had to ask what he's wanted for dinner and get the same old go-away-and-let-me-die answer.

Then again, they've never taken him to the park and watched him scale the jungle gym at ten years old. They've never gotten to experience the goofy side of Sasuke that only comes out when we're playing video games and greasing up the controllers with our popcorn-sticky fingers. They've never seen the genuine smile that comes across his face when something has finally gone right in his life.

Most people say that a person's home says a lot more about them than anything else they own. If my walls could talk they would be saying…

…it's not over yet.

* * *

**Comments: The End. -bows- It's not a very long chapter but it seemed like a good ending. I didn't want to 'fix' Sasuke per se because let's face it, that would be damn hard. Minato learned some things in the end and that was my main goal.**

**Spoilers****: Hm, so I predicted the whole Itachi thing in the manga way back in normal Naruto series. Right down to the Uchiha clan being corrupt and Itachi protecting Sasuke and he being a 'double agent'. In fact, when I read it and saw how accurate my predictions were, it kind of scared me.**

**And of course, I'm still lamenting that man's death but I find it cool that he went out the way he did. That's honor right there.**

**Stick with me; I'm sure another plot bunnie will bash me upside the head real soon, as it usually has a habit of doing.**

**Mask of Mirage**


End file.
